Main herbs and spices in Azerbaijan cuisine

Herbs and spices have been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes for centuries. Some spices were once worth their weight in gold. The use of foods for their medicinal purposes dates back hundreds of years.

Most herbs and spices posses a number of beneficial properties and work to reduce inflammation, improve the health of your heart, boost your immune system, and even prevent and fight cancer.

Savory or sweet, spices have always been valued for their ability to add flavor, color and aroma to any food.

Various herbs and spices are used primarily for adding flavor and aroma to food.

The more delicate herbs are often added at the end so you’ll get more of the flavor of the herb rather than a blended flavor of herbs added at the start.

Spices and herbs are an inevitable part of Azerbaijani cuisine. Traditional recipes of Azerbaijani cuisine are overflow with a vast array of spices and herbs.

There are some basic spices, which are used in many Azerbaijani dishes.

Saffron, cumin, sumac, cardamom, as well as herbs like mint, dill, parsley, celery, basil, etc. are widely used spices in cooking.

Here you will find the most commonly used herbs and spices in Azerbaijani cuisine.

Saffron

Azerbaijan is one of the oldest centers of saffron in the world. It was cultivated in some regions of Azerbaijan more than a thousand years ago.

The most high quality sort of this spice is grown in Azerbaijan, more precisely, in Bilgah, a settlement near the capital Baku.

Saffron used in the Azerbaijani cuisine was known in Asian countries 4,000 years ago. At the same time, the one which grew up in the village of Bilgya became widely known. In some of his works, prominent Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi recommended saffron as a remedy for many diseases.

Saffron is the most important spice in many national dishes (pilaf, bozbash, piti, etc.). It is difficult to imagine Azerbaijani deserts halva and pakhlava without saffron.

Cumin

Cumin is the second most popular spice after black pepper. It is an essential spice in Azerbaijani cuisine. This delicious can be added to the first and second course dishes.